The History of Lacrosse
The sport of lacrosse is a game of skill with history rooted in the ancient tradition of using sport as ritual. Lacrosse has evolved over time to become a high profile sport befitting its noble heritage. According to a 2009 Wall Street Journal report, the game is currently experiencing a boom in popularity, as more high school and elementary school programs are available, along with the various college and university programs that supplement the sport's professional league.
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The Original Game
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Excavations in sites once inhabited by the Native American tribes of Huron, Iroquois and Algonquin dates the earliest known lacrosse games to around the early 15th Century. The game, originally called "baggataway" in Native tongue, was less a game for entertainment and sport and served more spiritual and war-like purposes. According to Sportsknowhow.com, the games were used to please the gods and were held over a period of days, with nearly 1,000 members from the various tribes trying to score on goals close to a half-mile apart.
European Influence
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In the early 1840s, French pioneers and fur traders observed a baggataway game and believed the players' hooked sticks resembled a bishop's crosier. They dubbed the game "la crosse" ("the stick"). A few years later, French lacrosse players played against a Native team in Montreal, an event so popular that the city's first lacrosse club was established in 1856. The club refined the game by adding dimensions to the playing field and reducing the number of participants to twenty.
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Reshaping the Game
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Canadian George Beers, a dentist by trade, rewrote the club's rulebook, revisions that were officially adopted by National Lacrosse Association of Canada in 1867. The game became so popular in the Great White North that Canadian Parliament proclaimed lacrosse the country's national pastime. The US and Canada played the first international contest later that same year. The game spread to Europe soon after, leading lacrosse to be included in 1904 and 1908 Olympics. Canada won gold in both.
Growth
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Many US colleges and universities began offering lacrosse programs in the late 1870s. The first college game between, Manhattan College and NYU, was held in 1877. Two years later, the US's governing body, the US Amateur Lacrosse Association, was formed. Almost a hundred years later, the NCAA began holding national lacrosse championships for men's Division 1 schools. Division 2 matches were held in 1979 and lasted until 1982 before being dropped, only to be reinstated in 1991. Division 3 competition started in 1980.
Women's Game
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Women began playing the game around the same time that colleges adopted the sport, although they tailored the rules to their preferred style of play, rules that continue in women's lacrosse today. Helmets aren't required in the women's game, as there is a strict-no contact rule, and the sticks are smaller. The women's game became popular in the early 20th Century. Division 1 play was sanctioned by the NCAA in 1981, followed closely by Division 3 in 1985 and Division 2 in 2001.
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